Raven Revealed
by Ambrant Arandel
Summary: RavenxRobin. A new master arrives to complete Raven's training now that Trigon is out of the way. Rated M for Safety.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** I do not own Teen Titans. (Though I wish I owned Raven.)

**Raven Revealed**

A Teen Titans Fanfiction 

Prologue

A lone figure materialized in the sky above Jump City. The figure hovered for a few moments before zeroing in on the structure he was looking for. Undoubtedly the girl was inside. The figure swooped low towards the roof of the giant "T" that sat out in the harbor setting off proximity alarms, which registered through the tower.

"Titans GO!" Robin screamed as the alarm bells sounded through out Titan's tower. All five young people shot up and out towards the elevators leading to the roof. Raven dematerialized and teleported reaching the roof a few moments before the rest of them. She stopped abruptly as the figure turned towards her holding his hands over his ears. "I sincerely hope little one that your home is usually a great deal more quiet!" he shouted above the warning sirens.

Raven stood there agape for a moment as the rest of the titans raced onto the roof. Beast boy was already morphed into a tiger and Cyborg's cannon was already charged. Robin already had his discs out ready to hurl them at the intruder and Starfire was glowing green. The four titans converged on the intruder until a shout from Raven stopped them dead in their tracks. "STOP" Raven cried throwing herself between the titans and the figure, which had calmly turned to face their attack.

The resulting pile up was nothing short of comical. Cyborg stopped dead in his tracks and Beast boy careened into him followed by the rest of the titans. To his credit, Cyborg might have been able to keep from being knocked over if it hadn't been for Starfire. The titans looked up from the pile of twisted limbs and bruises to look at Raven.

"This a friend of yours, Raven?" Robin said dryly.

Chapter I.

"So this guy used to be your teacher?" Robin asked unsure of how to react to the middle aged man in gray robes walking around the living room looking things over.

"Not exactly. His name is Merlin. He's a friend of my mothers, and an ally of the monks of Azerath. He was the one who made my magic meditation mirror and gave it to my mother for me to use." Raven said looking at the newcomer to the tower.

"What's he doing here then?" Cyborg asked Raven as he walked in from resetting the roof sensors.

"Training." Came the answer from inside the living room that caused all the titans to jump. "You really shouldn't pretend I'm not here, it's not going to make me go away after all." Merlin said turning to look at them from across the room.

"Uh, just so we're clear, you're not the REAL Merlin are you?" Beast boy asked with a worried look on his face.

"The real Merlin?" Merlin asked looking at Raven.

"Merlin is the name of a powerful wizard who lived on this world several centuries ago." Raven offered.

"Ah, I see. No my little green friend, this is my first visit to your dimension. It is customary among the mages of our world to take a different name when traveling amongst mortals; it keeps things simpler that way. The monks of Azerath usually prefer bird names for some strange reason so I chose to be called Merlin. I wanted to choose Peregrine, but Raven's former tutor had already taken it. Could be worse I suppose, 'Canary' doesn't seem quite right somehow." Merlin said as he wandered into the kitchen area. "So Raven, where are your quarters? I need to be moving in shortly."

It was rare for the Titans to be so perfectly in sync but somehow this time they all managed to say, "Moving in?" in five-part unison. Raven could feel her heart sinking into her stomach.

"Yes, I promised Raven's mother I would continue her training and I'll have to be staying close by while its going on." Merlin said with aplomb. "By the way, do you kids honestly EAT this stuff?" Merlin said looking in the fridge.

"Whoa, I didn't think Raven NEEDED any more training!" Cyborg said emphatically.

"Yeah she kicks some serious butt as it is!" Beast boy chimed in.

"True Raven is powerful, due to her heritage, but she still lacks control and total mastery of her power. The monks of Azerath thought that if they were to school her too thoroughly in the uses of her power that it would have been that much easier for Trigon to destroy your world. Since his defeat however, your mother has asked me to complete your training and provide you with the necessary skills that you will shortly be needing." Merlin said rummaging around inside the fridge. "This will never do, where are all the vegetables?"

"That would be the green stuff." Robin said, too stunned to say much else.

"Tell me this is guacamole."

"No such luck."

Merlin grimaced as he shut the fridge door. "I think I'll keep my food separate." He said walking back to the group.

"I'll need a place to train Raven and a bare wall somewhere." Merlin said getting down to business.

Raven could feel Robin looking at her. She hadn't said a word so far and right now she found the carpet EXTREMELY interesting. Finally she looked up at Robin. "Robin you're the leader. It's your decision."

"If it's what you want Raven you have my support. All of our support." Robin said seriously.

Raven sighed. It was pretty much what she expected. "I'll show you to my room, master."

"Please, you can call me Merlin. I don't stand on the old customs as much as some teachers." Merlin said patting Raven on the shoulder. He then turned to Robin. "Since you are the leader of this group I will need to speak with you later once I am settled in. In truth, I would like to speak with each of you in turn. If it is agreeable to you all I would like to establish a brief mental link so I can determine the extent of Raven's progress on her own. I promise it will not be intrusive into your private thoughts, I will only be examining your past experiences fighting alongside Raven."

With that Raven turned to float out the door with Merlin floating along behind her. "So why did my mother decide to send you to teach me." Raven asked as she showed Merlin the tower.

"Your mother is concerned about you. There was a great deal left out of your training." Merlin said looking about the tower as they floated through.

"But why you?" Raven asked pointedly stopping in the hallway outside her room.

"Because she was afraid that she would not have the courage to train you in all the things you will have to face young one." Merlin said seriously. "I cannot lie to you. This training is not going to be pleasant. Quite frankly I don't think the monks of Azerath expected you to live through your father's plans. Otherwise they wouldn't have allowed you to go around loose without mastering more control over your power than what you have. I am going to have to expose you to some very intense emotions and you are going to have to learn how to function and control your powers while doing so. In truth the only reason your mother even agreed to this was that she hoped that somehow you might have a more normal life afterwards."

Raven looked at the older man for a few moments. "Are you going to come inside?" Raven asked opening the door to her room.

"No this bare wall right across the hall will do nicely. I recommend you refrain from meditating for a few days while I get to know your colleagues and find a suitable training area. We will begin once that is complete." Merlin said looking at the far wall.

Raven watched as a mirror appeared across the hall from her room. It was normal in appearance, but Raven knew that Merlin's mirrors were anything but normal. Merlin stepped through, and was gone. Raven sighed and turned to go back to her friends. Things were going to be crazy for a while.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** I do not own Teen Titans. (Though I wish I owned Raven.)

Chapter II.

Robin sat outside Raven's room feeling like an idiot. He was waiting to walk into a mirror. He'd seen some pretty weird things since he'd started hanging out with Raven, so he figured at least a little more weirdness wouldn't kill him. Beast boy stepped out of the mirror with Merlin right behind him.

"Remember, motor skills use up a large portion of the brain." Merlin said sagely.

Beast boy was grinning from ear to ear and ran toward the living area. "Thanks Merlin!" Beast boy cried back.

"What was that all about?" Robin asked perplexed. He was the last titan to see Merlin. He wasn't looking forward to this and any reprieve was welcome.

"I was just giving Beast boy a few pointers on how to beat Cyborg at the Game station." Merlin said happily.

"I didn't realize you played." Robin said looking doubtfully at the older man.

"I don't. Truth be known, I'm not exactly certain what it is, but I've got a pretty good idea what it would take for Beast boy to beat Cyborg." Merlin said turning to open the way into the mirror for Robin.

"This I have to hear." Robin said as he stepped through into a quite cozy den.

"It's rather simple actually. Beast boy is thinking too much." Merlin said taking a seat across a small table from Robin.

"I never thought I'd hear someone say that Beast boy was thinking TOO much." Robin said with a smirk.

"Actually, he has a much more efficient brain than any of the rest of you as far as I can tell." Merlin said sipping at some tea that was laid out on the table.

Robin looked at Merlin like he'd cracked until he continued. "Beast boy's brain, much like the rest of him morphs whenever he does. However his knowledge has to remain the same. He subconsciously remembers every form and how to move in each form. His brain also has to handle the sensory inputs of creatures that are several times more sensitive than his natural form. All of this requires brainpower. It doesn't do much good to be able to change into a bird if you don't know how to fly. Beast boy's brain uses a massive amount of energy to process the acute senses, and how to function in each form. While this is all subconscious, it takes away from upper cognitive abilities. Quite frankly I've never seen a changeling as powerful as he is that can actually still speak. I think it has something to do with the fact he's green in all his forms. He doesn't have to keep the correct coloring memorized. Time permitting I'll have to study it later. Now about you."

"If it's all the same, I'd rather we just talked. I have quite a few secrets that I don't feel comfortable disclosing. I know I have your word, but I don't know you well enough to trust you yet." Robin said seriously.

"Very well, an interview then. I've seen how you've been acting around Raven from the minds of your friends so I really only need to ask a few simple questions." Merlin said smiling.

Robin didn't really like his smile, but he had little choice so he nodded for him to continue. Robin reached for his own cup and sniffed the fragrance. It was nothing he recognized.

"First of all, please describe your relationship with Raven." Merlin said sitting back to watch Robin.

"She's my very good friend." Robin said looking down into his tea.

"She's not your girlfriend?" Merlin asked pointedly.

"No, Starfire's my girlfriend." Robin answered.

"Interesting. Tell me, why do you love Starfire?" Merlin asked.

"I thought this interview was supposed to be about Raven." Robin asked hotly.

"It is, and more importantly about your relationship with Raven. Your relationship with her has changed significantly since the two of you first met. Your friends Beast boy and Cyborg have seen certain changes in your behavior as well as hers, but haven't been able to understand it. Only when I was able to see your actions through their eyes was I able to see a complex relationship developing between you, Raven, and Starfire. Now please, why do you love Starfire?" Merlin asked more forcefully.

Robin sat back and looked down at the table for a few moments. "What's not to love, she's radiant, gorgeous, exotic, and is one of the sweetest people I know. She's an innocent spirit despite everything we've been through."

"And why do you love Raven?" Merlin asked.

"Who said I loved Raven!" Robin said, his head jerking up defiantly.

"You did, just now." Merlin said smiling broadly. "I've been looking at the thoughts of your friends. They may not realize it because you're pretty good at hiding your feelings, but I watch for changes in behavior. After several key incidents your behavior has altered around both Starfire and Raven. So if you prefer, what are Raven's best qualities?"

Robin definitely didn't like this line of questioning. "She's mysterious, graceful, and very well controlled. Despite her appearance she has a kind heart and a hopeful attitude."

"Interesting." Merlin said looking off into the distance.

"You keep saying that, care to elaborate?" Robin asked pensively.

"Well, your description never mentioned any sort of pity. She leads a lonely life, but you never mentioned her ability to cope with it." Merlin said looking back at the Boy Wonder.

"We all have our crosses to bear." Robin said darkly.

"We? Do you feel alone as well? Even with Starfire?" Merlin said suddenly staring at Robin intently.

"I thought you said these were supposed to be simple questions." Robin accused.

"They are, you don't want to hear the hard ones."

Robin looked at his teacup in his lap for a moment. "I've been lonely ever since my parents died. Batman tried to be a parent, but he was more like a big brother than a father figure. I guess I've grown accustomed to people with dark personas, that's why I was able to see past Raven's exterior. She has her parents, but that isn't necessarily a good thing. She's just as alone in the world as I am. Starfire makes me feel like there is still light in the world while Raven…" Robin trailed off looking up at Merlin.

"… makes you feel at home in the dark." Merlin finished for him.

"Yes. I guess it was after the incident with the Puppet King. I was attracted to Starfire then, but when she and Raven had their bodies switched I started thinking about what life would be like if they never where brought back to normal." Robin said looking down again.

"Who did you want to be with then?" Merlin asked gently.

"There was Starfire's body with Raven inside, and I thought that it would have been the best of both worlds. Then I looked at Raven's body with Starfire inside and I realized that it wouldn't be so bad that way either. In fact Raven is quite beautiful in her own way, I'd just never looked at her as a woman before, only as a teammate." Robin admitted.

"So after they were switched back?" Merlin continued.

"I continued to get closer to Starfire, but I started noticing Raven too. It wasn't until what happened with Slade that things started to get more complicated. Slade had done something to my mind, and Raven entered my mind to try to help me. After that, I seemed to be able to always know what she was feeling and sometimes nearly what she was thinking." Robin said feeling color come to his cheeks.

"It's called sympathetic empathy, and it's a common occurrence during something such as a deep mind probe. Especially when the empath hasn't finished her training." Merlin said dryly.

"Well, I'm glad for it either way." Robin said heatedly. "Even though Raven controls her emotions it doesn't mean she doesn't have them. I was able to see a whole new dimension of Raven, and…"

"You saw how she really felt about you." Merlin finished again.

Robin made a long pause before he nodded. "I still don't know if she's aware of how much I know of her feelings, but during the issues we had with Trigon her feelings were coming out more and more. I knew I had to be the one who saved her, because I was the only one she would respond to. When she held me, it made me realize how much I cared for her too."

"So now you're in love with two different women." Merlin accused gently. "One that holds the promise and warmth of the day, while the other holds the comfort and softness of night. Sorry to wax poetic for a moment."

"Don't be, that's pretty much it. I don't want to break Starfire's heart because I care too much about her and I don't want to hurt Raven either." Robin said eventually.

"Well, this is the reason I'm here after all. Whatever you choose to do, I must prepare Raven for it. The emotions that the three of you are experiencing are profound, and whether it's love or grief, Raven must be prepared to handle those emotions or the outcome could be horrendous. We're not talking about a few buildings exploding here." Merlin cautioned. "Still, I am going to need your help with her training, but we can talk about all that later, for now I need to see this room Cyborg tells me will suit our training so amicably."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** I do not own Teen Titans. (Though I wish I owned Raven.)

Chapter III.

Starfire floated into the observation room. She had been watching the "lessons" this new teacher of Raven's had been administering. A lot of it Raven looked bored with, having been things she'd already discovered about her powers, however today's lesson promised to be something different. Today Raven was supposed to loose control of her power. The idea frightened Starfire, but she wanted to be close by in case her friend needed help. Robin was supposed to be helping them for the first time today and Starfire was curious to see how her Robin was supposed to help Raven in her training.

Starfire settled to the ground and crept slowly to the single window that over looked the chamber that the Titans had built for Raven during the incident with her father. After Merlin had managed to stop laughing hysterically at it he had agreed it would be an ideal place to train Raven, once he had totally rewritten the symbols around the room into something a little more usable.

"Today Raven I want you to sit. No levitation, you're going to need every ounce of your power." Merlin was saying as he seated her with her back to the control room and the door leading into the room. "I want you to focus on this."

Starfire watched as Merlin placed a black rock on the floor in front of Raven. There was no sign of Robin anywhere.

"How is a piece of coal going to help in my training?" Raven was saying with an obvious strain in her voice. Merlin had forbidden her to meditate for days and the tedious nature of his lectures was starting to show.

"Focus your power on it. Direct your telekinesis inward. You need to exert pressure from all points surrounding the rock." Merlin was saying.

"I know how to exert inward pressure, I just don't see what kind of use it's going to be. It's not like I can turn it into a diamond." Raven was saying testily.

"I guess we shall see about that. As I said earlier, today is the day that you are going to loose control of your power." Merlin said patiently.

The rock turned even darker than usual as Raven's power surrounded it and lifted it into the air. "Nobody has that kind of strength, if they did there would be a lot more diamonds to be had in the world." Raven pointed out concentrating. "Besides, I'm not accustomed to just loosing control on command."

"I know, that's why I've kept you from meditating for a few days. I am going to push you over the edge. The point of this exercise is not going to be controlling your power, but instead channeling your power towards a goal and letting it work on its own." Merlin coached.

Raven continued to concentrate and Starfire was unsure, but the rock seemed slightly smaller. "This is all I have." Raven said between gritted teeth.

"Then it simply isn't good enough." Merlin said as he stepped into view. Starfire gasped as he transformed into a perfect likeness of Beast boy.

"Perhaps you need to be annoyed. Perhaps by someone that annoys you frequently. You realize it's the only way that I can express myself to you, so that you'll notice me." Merlin said in a perfect rendition of Beast boy's voice. Starfire couldn't have told the difference. Raven however had a sneer on her face.

"I already know how Beast boy feels Merlin. He may be annoying, but he's also my friend." Raven said defiantly.

"Then how about someone who's a bit closer." Cyborg said as Merlin changed into his shape stepping in front of her. "Someone who's like a brother you never had."

Starfire noticed that Raven's sneer had started to slip as the darkness deepened around the rock. Starfire was no expert, but Raven looked like she was worried. "This game is getting old Merlin."

"A game! May I play friend Raven!" Merlin said as he took Starfire's own form floating in front of Raven and then floating around behind her. "My own sister does not like me, and we never got to play such games on Tamaran, please friend Raven accept me as your friend and we can play games together!"

Starfire was not amused. She refused to believe that she sounded, well, that needy. Sure she felt alone sometimes, but it wasn't like she begged for Raven's attention.

Starfire watched as another figure stepped into the room below as Merlin regained his true form. Robin was there below, but hadn't seen her. She watched as he stepped close to Merlin.

Raven gulped. She was loosing control. It was all she could do to keep her power from ripping her to shreds. Merlin had gone through every Titan but one. _Please, not him._

"You are most stubborn Raven." Merlin said with his own voice behind her. "Perhaps something more is needed to make you loose control."

"Maybe someone that you're in love with." Robin's voice came from behind her.

Raven closed her eyes and prayed to whatever god, dimensional entity, or universal power might save her. What little control she had over her powers was quickly slipping. All she could do was point it in the direction of the coal and hope she didn't blow up half of the city. It wasn't until she felt Robin's arms around her, pulling her backward into his lap that she lost all that remained of her control. Power ripped through her like a hot burning knife as uncontrollable sobs began to escape from her. Robin's arms encircled her as she cried and pulled her close to his chest.

"Please Raven, I want to hear you say it. Please tell me how you feel." Merlin said from Robin's body.

"You're not playing fair Merlin!" Raven nearly screamed between the sobs. It sounded stupid even to her ears, but she wasn't exactly in control of anything right now, least of all her emotions. She just hoped that there weren't too many fatalities. "Why are you doing this to me? Dangling what can never be mine in front of me, and for what, some stupid training?"

"I'm doing it because I need to know how you feel." Robin replied softly.

Raven finally gave up and leaned into Merlin's arms, reaching down and grasping desperately at his arms and his gloved hands that looked just like Robin's hands. She laid her head against his neck and wept bitterly. Even if it wasn't Robin at least she could pretend for a while.

"Yes Merlin, I love him. I love him more dearly than my own life. He is everything to me, and I would gladly sacrifice myself to save him. Are you happy now?" Raven sobbed curling up into Merlin's arms like a baby. "I can never have him though. He loves my best friend. They deserve to be together. He deserves to be happy with her. What can I offer him, except a woman who can never fully express how she feels, a woman he can never be with because my emotions would destroy us both."

The explosion that rocked the room would have easily destroyed her if it hadn't been for Merlin's shield. Her power finally snapped. She looked to where the coal had previously been and there wasn't anything there. The walls had remained intact, and a nimbus of power surrounded her. For the first time in her life she felt, emptied. She felt as if one of the heaviest burdens had been lifted from her chest. She couldn't have lifted a matchstick with her power right now even with her emotions in such turmoil.

"I guess we'll have to use a smaller piece of coal next time." Merlin said conversationally. The only problem was that he was using his own voice and it wasn't coming from anywhere near the body that was currently holding her protectively.

Horrified, Raven turned around to look in the direction of the voice. She had been knocked flat, despite the shield and was currently lying on top of Robin. Then she saw Merlin, the real Merlin, standing a few feet away.

Raven looked down into Robin's eyes as she lay on top of him. It would have been a dream come true if it hadn't been for what had just transpired. Raven leaped to her feet as the rage gripped her. "Robin, how could you!" She shouted as the tears came unbidden to her eyes. Fortunately, with her powers burned out there wasn't any backlash to deal with so she could let her emotions take full reign. Raven ran for the door as Robin shouted for her. All she knew was that she needed to get as far away from him as possible.

Robin got to his feet slowly. "Well, that could have gone better." He said as he looked at the carnage. The training room was going to need definite repairs.

"Are you kidding? I couldn't have asked for anything better. Raven's powers are temporarily burned out. You need to find her and get this relationship between you Starfire and Raven resolved while you have the opportunity." Merlin said looking at the door that Raven had disappeared out of.

Robin looked around the room one last time before looking up at the control room to see if the explosion had destroyed the observation window. There he saw Starfire. She was standing there with debris stuck at odd angles in her hair. It would have looked quite comical if it hadn't been for the implication that she had been there the entire time and had overheard everything.

Robin struggled to speak, to find something to say to explain what was going on. Starfire just stared at him with pain in her eyes before turning and walking away. "I guess you had better go talk to both of them." Merlin said as he followed Robin's gaze.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** I do not own Teen Titans. (Though I wish I owned Raven.)

Chapter IV.

Starfire walked through the tower toward her room. She couldn't fly right now because happiness was eluding her. Raven was in love with her boy. Starfire wasn't naïve like everyone believed her to be. She had seen how Raven acted around Robin, but she had never dreamed that she would feel this strongly for him. Raven had always kept her distance.

Starfire's depression was interrupted as her communicator jumped into life. Beast boy had been monitoring things in the city while Robin had been "helping" with Raven's training.

"Hey everybody! I just got a call from Batman! Mr. Freeze just escaped from the asylum and is headed straight for us. Batman suspects that Freeze has a secret base somewhere just outside the city. Everybody scramble!"

Starfire could hear Robin break in as well. "Titans GO!"

Starfire looked around trying to figure out how she was going to fly. In her current state she could forget it. Remembering Cyborg also could not fly she headed straight for the garage. It was a good thing the T-Car had a back seat.

Starfire came running into the garage and managed to grab the door of the T-Car and jump into the back seat just as Cyborg tore out of the hangar and converted the car to hover mode for the short trip to the shore.

"I must ride with you today friend Cyborg!" Starfire called from the back seat. Cyborg only glanced at her for a moment before going back to his driving. Starfire looked around the car for a moment before she noticed that Raven was also in the back seat. She had her hood up and her head down, but Starfire could guess what her friend probably looked like right now.

"I just outfitted the T-Car with a retractable barrier wall in case we have to transport prisoners." Cyborg said conversationally. "It also works great when you need some privacy." Starfire watched as a partition came up from the floor and clicked into place on the roof. She was now alone with Raven.

"I take it you saw everything." Raven said in her usual monotone.

"You noticed me in the room of control?" Starfire asked quietly.

"Yeah, I saw you as I was running out." Raven said quietly. "I went down to the garage to get away from everything for a little while. I figured you and Robin wouldn't find me there."

"Raven…" Starfire couldn't think of what else to say.

"Don't worry Starfire. I'm not going to get in the way of you and Robin. As soon as this is over I'm going to leave the tower." Raven said sadly.

"Raven, I do not want you to leave. And I do not think that Robin would want you to leave either." Starfire said looking to her friend for some sign as to what she was feeling.

"I can't Starfire. Being around Robin only makes me want to be with him more and more. I've always fooled myself into thinking that nothing would ever come of it and that it was just a childish infatuation. I can't take being around him anymore and not showing him how I feel. Starfire, I love him and if I don't leave I'm going to end up hurting our friendship." Raven turned to Starfire and she could see tears on her face even under the hood.

"I am not so certain that Robin would accept your leaving. If you leave, he may decide to go with you." Starfire said sadly. "I think Robin loves you too."

"It will pass." Raven said reverting back to her monotone. "He really does love you. I can tell every time he looks at you and I don't have to be an empath to sense it. Whatever he feels for me will pass once I leave. You two deserve to be together."

"But what do you deserve, Raven?" Starfire said, not knowing really how else to respond. It seemed either way things happened she would either loose her friend or run the risk of loosing the man she loved.

Starfire's thoughts were interrupted as the T-Car suddenly stopped. Starfire got out into a steady rain as Raven got out on the other side. Beast boy was already there, and Robin was just rolling to a stop on his R-cycle.

"Batman said that this was Mr. Freeze's last location. He's at the Watchtower and won't be able to get here in time. We have to stop Freeze before he does anything with the stuff in his secret lab." Beast boy was saying hysterically.

"First we have to find out where his lab is." Raven said as if everything were normal.

"I'm picking up some strange energy readings from that direction." Cyborg said looking at the display on his arm and pointing toward a nearby hill nearly shrouded by the rain, mist, and fog.

"Let's go then." Robin commanded. "Raven, are your powers back to normal?"

"Not really, but I'll manage." Raven said without a trace of reservation. Starfire had to admit that Raven could be quite determined sometimes.

Robin nodded and the Titans set out to find the secret lab. Starfire stayed on foot and started to search along with the others while beast boy went on ahead to scout things out as a ferret.

It didn't take long before the Titans found what they were looking for. A concealed bay door that lead into some sort of hangar. Unfortunately it had already been opened.

"At least we're in out of the rain." Beast boy said sneezing.

"Careful Titans, Freeze could be anywhere in here." Robin said cautiously.

"Too late, Robin. You've already found me."

Starfire turned as a bolt of blue energy fired from the darkness and caught Robin squarely in the chest. Ice immediately encased him as he fell to the ground.

"ROBIN!" Starfire shouted in unison with Raven.

Freeze stepped out of the shadows with his beam cannon pointed in their direction. "He'll be dead in minutes from hypothermia." Freeze said conversationally. "Now, who's next?"

His answer was a blast of sonic energy from Cyborg's energy cannon. Starfire started hurling star bolts at Freeze as well. Beast boy had already shifted into a polar bear and was bearing down on the villain.

"RAVEN!" Starfire shouted. She was her only hope. "You've got to get Robin out of here, now!"

Raven looked confused. "But…"

"Now Raven! For both our sakes…" Starfire said before turning back to continue firing away at Mr. Freeze.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** I do not own Teen Titans. (Though I wish I owned Raven.)

Chapter V.

Raven opened the door and stepped inside. The sounds of distant explosions still rocked the complex as the Titans attempted to apprehend Mr. Freeze. Raven helped Robin into the room as she shut the door. Everything was so cold in here.

Robin was unconscious. She had managed to free him from the ice, but his clothes were soaked from the rain and he was shivering uncontrollably. _He'll be dead in minutes from hypothermia._

Freeze's words echoed in Raven's mind. She knew a bit about healing, and the obvious solution distressed her. Slowly Raven started taking off Robin's clothes. It was cold in this little storeroom, but his clothes were wet and she couldn't teleport him with her powers fried right now.

Fortunately, the magical properties of Raven's cloak weren't fried. Raven mentally ordered her cloak to expand to a size large enough to wrap around Robin's nude form. It was already dry from the rain it had soaked up earlier. Thank goodness for simple spells.

Robin still shivered uncontrollably and Raven really didn't want to do what she had to do next. She knew she had to or Robin would die, but it was going to hurt.

Raven removed her clothes and set them next to Robin's. She then slipped into the cloak with Robin trying to get him warm. His body felt like ice, but Raven gritted her teeth and clung to him.

Raven lay there for a long time and didn't realize she was crying until she heard her own sobs. The explosions had stopped now, so she could hear her own sorrow.

Raven didn't hear the door open. She more felt Starfire's presence than anything else. "I'm sorry Starfire. He needed to be dry and warm."

Raven did not look up until she heard something fall to the floor. It was then she realized it was Starfire's boot. Raven looked up as Starfire removed her own clothes and got into the cloak on the opposite side of Robin from her. "He is going to need us both if he is going to survive."

Raven nodded and then tried to look away from her friend. Here she was lying with the man she loved more than anything else and yet she could never have him. It was too much to bear. If Robin were not in such dire need of her body heat right now she would probably have already bolted.

Raven had to admit; it probably would take both of them. She wasn't as big as Starfire; she wasn't even as big as Robin, so she could never supply enough heat. Raven tried to calm herself when Starfire finally spoke. "I wonder what Robin will say when he wakes up."

Raven tried to pull herself inward to forget all that was happening and regain her emotional detachment but it wasn't working. "He'll probably be glad to see you."

"I think he will be glad to see both of us." Starfire said. "Raven please rest your head. You will hurt your neck if you stay like that much longer."

Raven looked down. She was definitely getting tired of holding her head at the odd angle, so she finally gave in and rested her head on Robin's shoulder. It might have been easier if she hadn't been staring across his neck at her best friend and greatest rival.

"As soon as he's out of danger, I'll leave you two alone." Raven said seriously.

"Why, Raven?"

"Because I don't think I need to stay here any longer than necessary." Raven said sadly.

"Raven, you are hurting now because of me. I am sorry." Starfire said mirroring Raven's emotions.

"You have nothing to be sorry about. You were in love with him first. I thought I could handle it and it would go away, but I was wrong." Raven said feeling Robin heart beat beneath her ear. It was slowly growing stronger.

"But Raven, if how you feel will not go away, how will you leaving make it any better?" Starfire asked.

"With time the emotion will die." Raven said reaching her usual monotone.

"I do not think that would be wise for you, Raven." Starfire said seriously.

"Well what do you expect me to do?" Raven said hotly. "Keep hanging around the tower until I go mad with grief of not being able to be with Robin. Keep watching the two of you, until I grow so jealous that I do something to ruin our friendship?"

"I do not know Raven, but when I was sent to the future I found you as a woman. You had lost everything and had turned inward on yourself. I do not want to see that same fate befall you again. I think I know why this must have happened to you and it was because you tried to "kill" this emotion." Starfire replied softly.

"I guess that will have to be my problem." Raven said dryly.

"Not if you let someone help you bear it. Raven, I do not know if someday Robin will chose me or if he will chose you. Either way I think we need to let him make that decision instead of making it for him." Raven jumped as Starfire took her hand and laid it next to hers on Robin's chest. "I do not understand everything about human courting rituals, but I do understand friendship. I will be there for you always and will be by your side if Robin does not choose you, but please promise me that you will do the same for me if he does not choose me."

"What if he doesn't choose either of us?" Raven said looking down at Robin and daring to hope.

"Then we'll both kill him." Starfire said grinning as she gave Raven's hand a squeeze.

Raven laughed a little at that one and then closed her eyes. The two of them held their hands over Robin's chest and rested.

Cyborg wandered the halls of the base where he and the rest of the Titans had recently faced Mr. Freeze. The villain had been soundly defeated and then Starfire had raced off to find Robin and Raven leaving him and Beast Boy to clean up. His communicator/locator lead him to a door he quietly opened before looking inside. It was a little dark so he used his thermal imaging scanner.

Cyborg quickly turned off his scanner as a deep blush worked over his features. He was probably one of the smartest members of the Titans. Raven and Robin came close, but he was still the most educated and cybernetic memory circuits did help. It hadn't taken him long to figure out what Merlin was doing in the tower, since he had expressed such an interest in the three. Raven's powers would have to be dealt with if she were to continue becoming closer to the boy wonder, for better or worse.

Cyborg closed the door as his communicator beeped. He took a few steps away from the door before he replied. "Cyborg here."

Beast Boy's face appeared on the communicator. "Cy, have you found everyone yet? The Justice League just arrived to take custody of Freeze, and I'd really like to get back to the tower."

"Yeah, I found them." Cyborg said seriously. "They have some things to finish up here. Why don't you and I head back now? Robin's got his cycle and the girls can fly back."

"What about Raven? Robin mentioned something about her powers not working." Beast boy said doubtfully.

"Well, if she's not got her powers back, then Robin can give her a ride or Starfire can fly her back. I don't feel like waiting." Cyborg said trying to sound nonchalant. "Besides, we passed a pizza place on the way here. Let's get some pizza before I stomp your butt on video games tonight."

The ruse seemed to work as Beast Boy started grinning. "You're on tin man! I've been perfecting a few knew moves to use on you."

Cyborg smiled and signaled off. He didn't want to be anywhere near this place when Robin woke up. He also planned on finding an excuse for him and BB to turn off their communicators. He wasn't about to get into the middle of the threesome's drama issues. "Good luck Rob, you're going to need it."

Robin finally awoke feeling warm all over. The last thing he remembered was the flash of Freeze's cannon and thinking his short, sweet life was over. Now he felt comfortable and warm. Oh yeah, he also felt naked and somebody was touching him. Robin opened his eyes to look through the mask down at the situation. He was lying wrapped up in a blue cloak with Raven and Starfire at his sides. He looked over to see their clothes in piles nearby. He could feel their bodies next to his and he started to feel a lot warmer.

"I must be dreaming." Robin finally concluded.

Robin jumped as a sharp pain jolted him. He looked down to see Raven pinching his nipple with a wicked grin. "Doesn't look like you're dreaming to me. What do you think Starfire?"

"No, he would have to be sleeping if he were dreaming, and he is definitely not sleeping, so he must not be dreaming." Starfire stated matter-of-factly. "Why do you think you are dreaming Robin? Have you had a dream like this before?"

Robin's sense of danger skyrocketed at the obviously loaded question as two sets of eyes narrowed looking at him intently expecting an answer. Stunned he lay there trying to come up with something to say. Right now he was speechless.

"He seems tongue-tied." Raven said sardonically.

Starfire's hands immediately shot up to Robin's mouth opening his mouth wide to look inside. "Did the Mr. Freeze somehow manage to tie Robin's tongue?" Starfire said alarmed.

"No, Star. I mean he doesn't seem to know the right thing to say." Raven said smiling.

"Yes, I have noticed this many times. Usually when I am hoping for him to tell me exactly what it is that I mean to him." Starfire said seriously as she again began to look at Robin through narrowed eyes.

"Some guys are that way. Oh well, I guess no boyfriend is perfect. Look on the bright side; he at least doesn't jump when Cyborg calls you his girlfriend anymore. The best I ever got out of him was that I was his 'very good friend'." Raven said conversationally.

"That is true." Starfire said seriously. "You know I think Robin considers you also to be his friend that is a girl."

Robin's mind was reeling. He changed his mind this wasn't a dream. It was a nightmare.

"You think so?" Raven said brightening. "You know we never would know really, since he never seems to want to tell anybody how he feels so that it… might… make… things… easier… on… the… two… of… us." Raven said as she pinched Robin's ear.

"Maybe you can use your power on him friend Raven." Starfire said suddenly. "You were able to enter his mind once so then maybe you could go back in and find out how he feels!"

"Now, Star…" Robin started.

"Yeah, especially since he pulled such a nasty trick on the two of us with Merlin." Raven said slyly.

"Alright, I give…" Robin said as the two prepared to wrestle him down for a mind probe.

Robin felt like he was going to die, and depending on how the two of them took his news he very well might. "The truth is that, yes I have dreamed about being with both of you." Robin said slowly. "Both of you are so beautiful, and I know I should tell you more about how I feel, but I can't. I've lived so long bottling up things inside of me that it's hard for me to let them out. I care about both of you deeply. It's been driving me crazy because I care too much about the two of you to choose. I… I love both of you, each of you for different reasons. It would kill me to have to choose between the two."

Robin waited expectantly as the two looked at him wide-eyed. "That's the most talking about his emotions I think I've ever heard out of him." Raven said clinically.

"Same here." Starfire agreed. "That's what I expected to hear though."

"True. Now about this business of dreaming of me and Starfire together with you… Starfire what do you think we should do about this?" Raven said with an evil glint in her eye.

"On my planet if a man was dreaming about seducing two women at once the two women would catch him and then trogdash his glimfhorn." Starfire said seriously.

Robin's heart began to sink as the two stared at him.

"Sounds like fun to me." Raven said grinning.

"Actually, I have a better idea." Robin said sweating. "Why don't I take you two out for pizza?"

"Why friend Raven, I think he just asked two girls out on 'the date'." Starfire said smiling.

"I think you're right Starfire." Raven said smiling as well. "Are we going to let him off that easy?"

"I guess we could." Starfire said frowning. "But how are we going to get up and get dressed without him seeing our grobnaks?"

"I'll take care of that." Raven said again with an evil grin. "Nighty-night boy wonder."

Robin watched as Raven's hand glowed as she touched his forehead. The last thing he remembered was Starfire giggling. He was in for a VERY interesting courtship.

Raven sighed as she got dressed with Starfire. Secretly, she would have like to have shown Robin her 'grobnaks'. The two of them stood and Raven walked over to Starfire and hugged her. "Thanks Star."

Starfire smiled down to her friend. They had managed to keep from loosing their friendship and destroying the world all in one stroke. The two looked down at the nude form of Robin. Raven used her restored magic to pull a fresh set of clothes through a dimensional portal so that Robin would have a dry uniform, and then retrieved her cloak. Raven pulled her cloak around her and the two stepped out of the room.

"By the way Starfire, what does 'trogdash his glimfhorn' mean anyway." Raven asked conversationally.

Starfire blushed deeply and thought for a moment for the right words in English to describe what it meant. She then looked at the door that had just come out of before leaning over to whisper in her friend's ear.

Raven listened as Starfire explained the expression to her. She then noticed she was blushing deeply as well as she looked at her friend in astonishment. "Your people have some straaaange customs Starfire."


	6. Epilogue

**A/N:** I do not own Teen Titans. (Though I wish I owned Raven.)

Epilogue.

"I wouldn't exactly call this resolving the issue!" Merlin said angrily as he looked at the three Titans while he paced around the roof. "I was able to quell most of Raven's power with my own and her focus on the stone helped, but this is not the kind of resolution I was hoping for."

Raven looked at Merlin smiling at the fact that the old mage was getting some payback for interfering in her life. Granted, the things he had shown her had given her some ideas about how to handle the idea of channeling some extremely powerful emotions, but she still didn't have to approve of his methods.

She and Starfire each had one of Robin's arms and smiled back blithely at the mage as he paced around. "What exactly am I going to tell your mother?"

Raven smiled as she stepped away from her friends to face Merlin. "You can tell her everything she needs to know. That I am now trained and able to focus my emotions and that I will be handling my own relationships from now on." Raven said seriously. "I'm accustomed to saying this to my father, but now I guess I have to tell my mother as well. Stay. Out. Of. My. Business. My love life is my own business."

Merlin shook his head in defeat. "I guess if that's the way you want it." Merlin said sadly.

"It is." Raven agreed.

"Then I guess it's time for me to go." Merlin said waving his hands. Without looking Raven knew his things had probably disappeared from the tower. "I'll be coming back to check up on you though in a couple of years."

"Why?" Raven said shortly.

"Well you're mother will want to know how your pregnancy is going." Merlin said just as shortly as he disappeared.

Raven's eye twitched. Her pregnancy? Her PREGNANCY?

Robin and Starfire were both slowly backing away from the dark mage. Raven felt a lump come up in her throat. Merlin was a renowned seer, but then he could have been just messing with her. Yeah, messing with her. That had to be it…

The End 


End file.
